Reward Offered in Restaurateur’s Death

The family of a slain downtown restaurateur is offering $4,000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect who has eluded authorities since June.

Investigators say they hope the reward, combined with $1,000 offered by Ventura County Crimestoppers, will encourage someone to turn in former Santa Paula resident Manuel “Manny” Alejandro Vasquez, 20.

“We hope this will jiggle loose some tips on where to find him,” said Ventura Police Sgt. Bob Anderson. “We want to bring him into custody and bring some closure to this matter.”

Vasquez is suspected of participating in a botched kidnapping attempt that ended with the fatal shooting of Felipe Arambula, the popular owner of the Taqueria Vallarta restaurant. Two other suspects are on trial for murder and related charges in the case.

While he acknowledged that similar reward offers have had mixed results in the past, Anderson said a reward could help in this case because Vasquez is well known in the area.

Anyone with information on Vasquez’s whereabouts can contact Crimestoppers at 494-8255 or Anderson at 339-4482.